Folding crib and the like



Oct. 18, 1938.

e. THO RNTON-NORRiS FOLDING CRIB AND THE LIKE Filed Feb. 8, 1937 3 Sheets-Sheet l Oct. 18, 1938. G. THORNTON-NORRIS I 2,133,561

-FOLDING CRIB AND THE LIKE Filed Feb. 8, 1937 s Sheets-Sheet 2 M EW G. THORNTON-NORRIS FOLDING CRIB AND THE LIKE Oci. 18, 1938.

5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Feb. 8, 1937 VIF W Patented Oct. 18, 1938 PATENT OFFICE FOLDING CRIB AND THE LIKE George Thornton-Norris, London, England, as-

signor to The Scholl Mfg. 00., Inc., Chicago, 111., a corporation of New York Application February 8, 1937, Serial No. 124,545 In Great Britain February 20, 1936 7 Claims.

My invention relates to improvements in folding furniture and in frames therefor and, in some of its features, more particularly to foldable cribs for infants.

- Among the general objects of the invention are, to provide a construction that is simple, rugged and suitable for manufacture with low production-cost; that, when embodied with a fabric body appropriate for an infants crib, is suitable for compact folding into a substantially flat-sided oblong form convenient for storage or to be encased in a neat cover and carried as hand-luggage in travel; that, when erected, is sturdily safeguarded against accidental collapse; and that has all of its frame-parts permanently articulated and free from projections that, in any position of the structure, might endanger the users person or clothing.

For the attainment of these. and other objects, which will hereinafter become apparent, my invention consists in the features of construction and combinations of parts hereinafter set forth and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, wherein I have illustrated a single embodiment of my invention in theform of a folding crib, for purposes of full disclosure.

In the drawings,

Figure 1 is a perspective View of the crib frame;

Fig. 2 shows a suitable crib-body construction, detached;

Fig. 3 shows a crib-canopy member, detached;

Fig. 4 shows a slip-cover suitable neatly to receive the folded crib assembly, for convenient hand carriage in travel;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged side elevation of the crib, erected;

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary view showing the crib body and associated parts in section;

Fig. '7 is a transverse section through parts of the crib, on line 17 of Fig. 5;

Fig. 8 is a side elevation of the assembled crib in folded position, ready for storage or encasement;

Fig, 9 is an enlarged detail of a center-bracket of the frame and the members articulated therewith, with parts broken away;

Fig. 10 is a horizontal section on line lfl|ll of Fig. 9; and

l3 desirably extends between and is mounted in parallel side-reaches through short-radius bends, 10

and with the inner ends of said side-reaches flattened (and laterally offset a bit where necessary) for convenient pivotal articulation with the cen ter-brackets.

In the opened position of the frame, shown in Fig. 1, the leg-loops M, M, pivoted at well-separated points near the base of the center-brackets l2, cross each other below said brackets and are restrained by the brackets or their limiting cross rod, l3, against further opening movement;

the two spreader-loops l5 and i5, pivoted on centers that are closer together and higher in the brackets, diverge at a suitable predetermined angle and are locked against relative foldting movement by the toggle-link connections, ll,

l 1, between their respective side-reaches; and the canopy-loop l5, pivoted still higher in the brackets and in a vertical central plane through them, may be latched in upright position between protuberances 3?, 38 carried by the toggle-latch structures H, H and coacting with said canopyloop in spring-latch fashion through the springiness of the toggle-links.

In the embodiment of my invention in a crib,

it is desirable that the fabric body, the canopy,

and accessory parts of the construction shall be readily detachable, and also that, when the crib is folded, as shown in Fig. 8, its frame parts shall constitute a substantially rectilinear, oblong border frame neatly enfolding the body, canopy, and

accessories.

In the construction shown the fabric body 2B is a rectangular bag with its end walls higher than its side walls to wrap around the crossreaches of the spreader loops and be detachably secured thereto by latch buttons 2!, as shown in Fig. 6, and the bottom of the body is located at approximately the level of the frames cross-rod l3 and centrally secured thereto by a buttoningstrap 22.

As marketed, the crib bottom is provided with a removable stiffening board 23, formed of clothcovered fiber board or the like and comprising a narrow transverse center strip 23 to which the end members of the board are hinged,

through the flexible cover-cloth, for upward folding in substantially the planes of the folded leg-loops. This spacing apart of the bottomboard ends is adequate to accommodate the infolded side walls of the body and also a thin mattress pad 24.

The canopy 25 is, as indicated in Figs. 3 and 5, a fabric strip the middle of which may be snap-fastened as at 26 around the cross-reach of the canopy loop I6, and the ends of which are provided with tie strings 21 to be tied to the spreader loops when in use.

In the advantageous and inexpensive construction of the metal frame as herein shown, the coaction of center-bracket parts and parts of the appropriate loop members is such as to insure ease of erecting and ease of folding the crib, safe interlatching between cooperating frame parts when duly erected, and facility in stowing the crib in a suitable slip-cover.

Thus, in the particular construction shown, each center bracket [2 is formed of two bellshaped sheet-metal stampings, 30 and 30, suitably spaced as by the two pairs of shouldered rivets, 3i and 32, upon which, respectively, the spreader loops l5, l5 and the leg-loops l4, [4, respectively, are mounted; one of said plates being provided at opposite sides with integral stop-lugs 33 bent across the space between the plates in such marginal position that (as indicated in Fig. 9) their upper edges may limit the opening movement of the spreader loops and their lower edges may limit the folding movement of the leg-loops. Such folding of the two leg-loops against their respective stops brings said loops into parallelism substantially at right angles to the base plane of the brackets 12.

The cross-rod l3 of the frame extends through only the inner plate 30 of each bracket and across the interspace between the plates so that in its entirety it acts as a spacing-strut between the brackets, while its end portions |3 (Fig. 9) serve as bracket-carried stops to limit the opening movement of either leg-loop E4 or M; said le loops being arranged, furthermore, for impositive but effective interlatching when they are crossed below the brackets sufiiciently to bring the flattened ends of both loops close to or into contact with said stops m.

Specifically, leg-loop M, which is sufiiciently narrower than its companion loop 4 to pass through the latter in moving between folded and spread positions, has its flattened ends offset outwardly to confront the inwardly offset flats of the wider loop l4, and the thickening of the flats where they begin merging into the round section of the tube stock, as at M (Fig. 11), causes them to coact wedgingly against the side plates of the brackets for a strong frictional interlatching between the loops. In use, the erected crib may be pushed around, or picked up and carried, without danger of the leg-loops swinging toward pendent position.

To aid in properly positioning the flats of the leg-loops and the spreader loops on their respective pivots, and to prevent rattling, washers 35 are provided on the pivots.

As herein shown, the canopy loop l6 carries its pivoting rivets 36, which extend outwardly through the inner plates 30 of the brackets l2, l2, and while the stiffness of the canopy loop is sufiicient to make this pivotal connection a permanent one for normal use, the side-reaches of said loop can be forcibly sprung inward enough to withdraw the pivots and permit removal of the loop on occasion.

To maintain the canopy loop l6 erect, the toggles I! are provided with rounded latching heads, 31 and 38, respectively, formed on the pivot between the toggle links and on the locking-stop 38 of the longer link, so that after the spreader loops are toggle-locked in spread position, the canopy loop may be snapped into latched position between these rounded projections against the lateral springiness of the toggle links. Also, one or more additional stops 39, against which the canopy loop may recline in partly erect position, may be provided on either of the links if desired.

Since the crib, when folded as shown in Fig. 8, has its parallel leg-loops standing at substantially right angles to the bracket-bases, and has the side-reaches and cross-reaches of all of the loops located quite nearly in respective fiat edge planes and a fiat end plane, and also has all of the fabric parts substantially enclosed within the frames outline, the crib may very easily be inserted into a light case or slip-cover 40, such as shown in Fig. 4, which may take inexpensive form as an end-opening fabric bag stiffened only marginally, as by fiber boards 4| reinforcing its top, bottom and ends; and in the folding of the crib the fabric body and its appurtenant fittings is properly centered by the connection 22 to frame-rod l3, and side bulging of the body is prevented by the guiding effect of the folding toggle-links I I.

It will further be noted that the metallic frame construction described is adapted for both manufacture and assembly of its parts at low production cost, and that the complete assembly is amply rugged, safe against collapse, and free from danger for nursery use.

I claim:

1. For a folding crib or the like, a supporting frame comprising two pairs of substantially U- shaped loop-members and two oppositely disposed center-brackets, the side-reaches of said loopmembers being pivoted to said brackets and movable with respect thereto from substantially parallel, side-by-side folded relationship to spread relationship wherein one pair of said members extends downwardly in crossed position below said brackets such that their cross-reaches form a base and the members of the other pair extend upwardly in divergent position above said brackets such that their cross-reaches provide support for a fabric crib-body or the like.

2. For a folding crib or the like, a supporting frame comprising a pair of opposed centerbrackets, a pair of substantially U-shaped spreader-loops pivoted to said brackets and movable between upright folded position and oppositely divergent open position, a pair of substantially U-shaped leg-loops pivoted to said center brackets and movable between substantially parallel side-by-side upright position enfolding said spreader-loops and open, crossed position below the brackets, one of said leg-loops being narrower than the other topermit such crossing, and said leg-loops being adapted and arranged to frictionally interlatch in said crossed position.

3. For a folding crib or the like, a supporting frame comprising a pair of opposed centerbrackets, a pair of spreader-loops pivoted to said brackets and movable between susbtantially upright folded position and oppositely divergent open position, toggle-lock connections between said spreader-loops to maintain them in opened relation, a pair of substantially U-shaped legloops pivoted to said brackets and movable between parallel upright, folded position and downwardly extending, crossed, open position below the brackets, one said leg-loop being narrower than the other to pass through the latter in crossing, said leg-loops and at least one bracket coacting to frictionally interlatch said leg-loops in said crossed position, and means on said brackets for limiting said opening movement of said leg-loops.

4. A supporting frame for a folding crib comprising a pair of opposed vertical plate-like center-brackets widest at their bases, a plurality of substantially U-shaped loop-members pivoted on said brackets, said loop-members comprising a pair of leg-loops pivoted near the ends of said bracket-bases and movable from open, crossed position below said brackets to substantially parallel upright position above said brackets; a pair of spreader-loops pivoted nearer the vertical center of said brackets and movable from oppositely divergent position above said brackets to substantially upright position between the folded leg-loops and a canopy-loop pivoted above and between the pivots of said spreader-loops; said loops, when folded, standing side by side with their cross-reaches in substantially a common plane and said brackets having stops to limit the folding movement of said leg-loops.

5. A crib-frame comprising a pair of opposite center-brackets, a pair of leg-loops pivoted to said brackets and movable from crossed, open position below the brackets when erected to substantially parallel upright position above the brackets when folded; a pair of spreaded-loops pivoted to said center-brackets for movement from substantially upright folded position between the folded leg-loops to oppositely-divergent open position above the brackets; toggle-lock link-connections between said spreader-loops for locking them in open position; a canopy-loop pivoted to said brackets between said spreaderloops; said toggles of the spreader-loops having means thereon for latching said canopy-loop in erect position when the toggles are in locked position, and said center brackets having stops thereon for limiting the opening movements of, respectively, a leg-loop and a spreader-loop.

6. A folding crib comprising a frame having oppositely disposed center-brackets with their bases in a common plane, said brackets being provided with stops; substantially U-shaped legloops of different widths pivoted to said brackets and movable from crossed position below the brackets when open to upright parallel position above the brackets when folded against said bracket-stops; a pair of U-shaped spreader-loops pivoted to said center-brackets above and between the pivots of said leg-loops and movable from oppositely divergent open position to upright folded position between said leg-loops; toggle-links connecting said spreader-loops; a U-shaped canopy-loop pivoted to said brackets above and between the spreader-loops, all of said loops having their cross-reaches in substantially a common plane parallel to the center-bracket bases when folded; a folding canopy carried by the cross-reaches of the canopy-loop and spreader-loops, and a rectangular bag-like cribbody of fabric carried by the cross-reaches of said spreader-loops and foldable within the folded frame with its side walls restrained by the folded toggle-links.

7. For a folding crib or the like, a supporting frame comprising a pair of opposed centerbrackets, a pair of substantially U-shaped spreader-loops pivoted tosaid brackets and movable between upright folded position and oppositely divergent open position, a pair of substantially U-shaped leg-loops pivoted to said center brackets and movable between substantially parallel side-by-side upright position enfolding said spreader-loops and open, crossed position below the brackets, and a strut-bar between said brackets and spacing them apart, said bar having portlons adjacent its ends located in the path of movement of said leg-loops to limit their movement to said crossed, open position.

GEORGE THORNTON-NORRIS. 

